I'm an avid watcher of poker on TV, but I already pay for cable. I'm not paying to watch live poker.
I've got nothing against watching live poker. I'm the kind of nut that would watch unedited poker for hours on end.
But not on PPV.

live poker is a mistake anyway. Too many hands folded to remain interesting.

Though Phil Gordon has interesting point about how the WPT tournaments suck to play in. They want a lot of all-ins, so the blind structure goes through the roof at the final table, thus eliminating a majority of the skill.

That's why he won't play in those tourneys, though I'm not sure why he cares since he wouldn't make a final table anyway.

live poker is a mistake anyway. Too many hands folded to remain interesting.

Though Phil Gordon has interesting point about how the WPT tournaments suck to play in. They want a lot of all-ins, so the blind structure goes through the roof at the final table, thus eliminating a majority of the skill.

That's why he won't play in those tourneys, though I'm not sure why he cares since he wouldn't make a final table anyway.Â

Click to expand...

Gordon or Hellmuth? Phil Gordon has been in two or three final tables.

I don't know that the mainstream viewer would plunk down for the PPV. But watching the Turning Stone event was interesting.

I've played several real tournaments in casinos (opposed to online). There is so much folding, so much waiting between hands, it's not fun to watch.Â Once people see this stuff without all the extras edited out, they will feel ripped off. I've never been in the WSOP, but I know in many live tourneys there is no fixed limit on how long a person has to decide on a hand, although the dealer or other floor person can put a timer on a person.
I had one guy stare me down for about 4 minutes as I went all in with two pair...KJ was my hand board was KJ then three low offs. I just sat there. Everyone at the table I'm sure got bored, but you do chat with your neighbors a lot...watching on tv, there's no neighbor unless you are with a friend.
The guy called me. He mucked, so I have no clue what he had. It was a re-buy, he re bought ad we met up again at final table. he outlasted me.

there were 120 people in this tourney, it lasted over five hours...and rebuys were only available first 30 minutes.

I am as big a poker junkie as anyone, but I don't fill my TiVo with it anymore. Is there anything "new" you can possibly see? Loudmouths at the table, aces cracked, online-qualifying geek wins a million -- it's all been done and redone. Now they're having to gimmick-it-up with the Pokerdome and other crap, which will just make it less and less of true "poker" and just all-in fests. Bleech.